Desk.



PATENTED JAN. s, 1905.

E. A. CANNON.

DESK.

APPLICATION FILED DBG-.21, 190s.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

NMi/8,95@ PATENTED JAN.31905. E.A.GANN0N. DESK.

.APPLICATION FILED DEO. 2.1:,1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- No. 778,950. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

E. A. CANNON.

DESK.

' APPLIoATIoN FILED 13110.21, 190s.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

'and pivotally-attached folding legs 3.

Patented January 3, 1905.

Armer EDWARD A. CANNON, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,950, dated January 3, 1905. Application filed December 2l, 1903. Serial No. 185,962.

fo @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. CANNON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Desks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to desks, and lhas for its especial object to provide a combined writing-desk and drawing board or blackboard for the use of children.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying' drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved combination-desk, some parts being shown as folded and some being shown as removed by means of dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but shows a different adjustment of the parts of the desk. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper section of the body portion of the desk, and Fig. 4 is a detail in vertical section, taken centrally through the lower portion of the'desk with the parts adjusted as shown in Fig. 2.

rIhe body portion of the desk is afforded by an elongated rectangular box-like section 1, which has rigidly-secured depending legs 2 The folding legs 3 are directly pivoted to blocks t, rigidly secured on the sides of the legs 2, and are beveled at their upper ends, so as to engage as stops with depending strips 5, extended from the sides of the box 1, as best shown in Fig. L1. To further limit the spreading movements of the legs 3 with respect to the legs 2, latch-bars 6 are pivoted on transverse rods 7, that tie together the lower portions of the legs 2. At their free ends the latch-bars 6 are provided with notches 8, that engage with a transverse tie-rod 9, that rigidly connects the lower portions of the legs 3. (See Fig. 4C.)

The box or case 1 is divided into an upper and a lower compartment by fixed partitionboards 10, and at its extreme top it is provided with a three-sided grooved rim 11, in the grooves of which is removably held a sliding top board 12. Secured to the box or case 1 and following the front margin of the upper compartment thereof is a marginal frame 13. Vhen the top board or slide 12 is removed, a rectangular {ile-case or detachable box 14, having a plurality of compartments, is adapted to be placed within the upper compartment of the main body-case 1, as illustrated by full lines in Eig. 2. This removable file box or case 14 is shown as lifted out of working position in Fig. 2 by dotted lines. When it is in working' position, as shown by full lines in said Fig. 2, its several stalls or compartments are accessible through the large opening afforded by the marginal frame 13. The top board or slide 12 being placed in working position, the said file-box 14 is held against displacement.

In the lower compartment of the body-case 1 is a pair of laterally-spaced vertical cleats 15, having' at their outer edges crooked fingers 16, that afford supports for pens, pencils, and similar articles.

Secured to the sides of the case 1 in its lower compartment are rest-cleats 17, which at their lower ends are formed with rest-shoulders 18 for a purpose which will presently appear. Strips 19, secured to the lower portions of the cleats 15 and to the strips 17, form boxes or receptacles in thev lower portion of' the ease 1, which are adapted to contain various articles-such as pieces of chalk, erasers, &c.

Secured to the outer surfaces of the bodycase 1 is a pair of upright guide-rods 20. Mounted to slide on each guide-rod 2O is a traveling keeper 21, as shown, formed from a piece of wire bent around the said rod and having a projecting laterally-bent arm 22. These laterally-bent arms 22 fit in seats formed in the sides of the upper edge of a table-board 23, which table-board is formed with a marginal frame 211, that projects laterally beyond the outer face thereof. The table-board 23 is thus supported for pivotal sliding movements IOO by means of the traveling keepers 21. The lower portion of the table-board 23 is connected by a pair of oscillating links 25 to the transverse tie-rod 7, which connects the pair of legs 2. As shown, the upper ends of the said links 25 are secured to a transverse rod 26, which in turn is journaled Ain bearingblocks 27, secured on the under side of the said board 23. The table-board 23 is thus Supported so that it may be freely moved from the upright position shown in Fig. l into the approximately horizontal position shown in Fig. 2 by forcing the lower edge thereof outward. As is evident, the said board is moved from the position shown in Fig. 2 back into .the position shown in Fig. l by forcing the inner edge thereof upward and by pressing the outer edge thereof inward. When thetable-board stands in the position shown in Fig. l, the folding links 25 stand slightly inward of a dead-center, so that pressure exerted directly downward on the said board will not tend to move it from its raised position.

The above-described mounting for the table-board eliminates the use of chains, such as are usually employed for supporting the board in a lowered position. Such chains are objectionable, because they are liable to be broken, and for other reasons.

It will be noted that it is that face of the board 23 which has the projecting marginal frame and slightly-inset inclosed body portion that is always exposed for use. In other words, the board in shifting from one position to another does not turn upside down, but always exposes the same face. This exposed inset face of the board would be either in the form of a blackboard or be formed of slate or some similar material which will adapt it to receive erasable marks, and hence for convenience we will term this surface a blackboard. For use in connection with the blackboard a plurality of design-strips 28 are provided. These strips 28 are marked with various designs which are suitable to be copied by achild on the blackboard by the use of a pencil or crayon, and the entire'bunch is adapted to be placed within the upper compartment of the body-case 1, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1, the file-box 14 at such time of course being removed. When the design-strips are placed in the said upper compartment of the case 1, the designs on the forward member of the said strips will be exposed to view through the marginal frame 13 and in position where they may be readily copied onto the blackboard when the same is turned upward into an approximately Vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1. When the blackboard is turned into an approximately horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2, the particular design-strip which is to be copied from should be placed on the rest-strips 17 and their rest-lugs 18 in a position just over the inner end of the board 23, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

When the device is to be used as a writingdesk, a table with a smooth upper surface is very desirable, and it is also desirable to cover up the blackboard-surface. For this purpose I provide a thin filling-plate, so-called, which will fit within the marginal frame 24 of the table-board 23 and will lie flush with the upper surface of the same, as shown in Fig. 2. To hold this detachable board 29 in working position, a plurality of small turn-buttons 30 are provided, and these turn-buttons are preferably pivoted to the marginal frame 24 and set Hush with the outer surface thereof. The arrangement of the device for use as a y writing-table is indicated by full lines in Fig. 2.

The manner in which the folding legs 3 and latch-bars 6 may be folded up is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

rI`he device above described is preferably constructed almost entirely of wood, the guiderods 20, sliding keepers 21, and fingers 16 being the only metallic parts employed.

From what has been said it will be understood that the device described is capable of modilication within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a desk of the character described, the combination with a case having supportinglegs and guides on its sides, of sliding keepers working on said guides, a table-board pivoted at its inner edge to said sliding keepers, and links pivotally supporting the outer or lower portion of said table-board, the said tableboard being thus mounted to move from an upright into an approximately horizont-al position, and vice versa.

2. A desk of the character described, comprising a case having supporting-legs, one pair of which is fixed, and the other of which is pivoted, guid e-rods on the sides of said case, sliding keepers working' on said guide-rods and having projecting pivot-arms, a tableboard pivoted at its upper or inner edge to the pivot-arms of said sliding keepers, and a pair of links pivotally connecting the outer or lower portion of said table-board to the fixed legs of said case, substantially as described.

3. In a desk of the character described, the combination with lthe rectangular case 1 hav-. ing the fixed legs 2 and folding legs 3, of the guide-rods 20 on the sides of said case, the keepers 21 slidable on said rods 2O and having projecting pivot-arms 22, the table-board 23 having the marginal iiange 24 pivotally connected, at its upper or inner edge, to said arms 22, the inset face of said table-board affording a blackboard, the links 25 pivotally supporting the lower or outer edge of said table-board from said fixed legs 2, and the filling-board 29 fitting within the marginal frame 24 of said table-board and detachably held thereto by turn-buttons 30, substantially as described.

4. In a desk of the character described, the

IOO

IZO

combination with a rectangular case divided into upper and lower compartments and having supporting-legs, of a table-board connected to said case and movable from an upright into an approximately horizontal position and vice versa, and a plurality ofigured designboards iitting within the upper compartment or' said case, the lower compartment of said case having rests for holding one of the said design-boards in position for use when said table-board is lowered, substantially as described.

5. In a desk of the character described, the combination with the case l having supporting-legs, provided at its open upper end with a grooved three-sided rim l1 litted with the removable slide l2, said case 1 being divided into an upper and lower compartment by a partition-board l0 and further having the rectangular marginal frame 13 following the open front side of the upper compartment thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a desk of the character described, the combination with a case divided into upper and lower compartments, and having supporting-legs, of a table-board connected to said case and movable from an upright into a horizontal position, and vice versa, and a plurality of figured design-boards detachably fitting within the upper compartment of said case, substantially as described.

7. In a desk of the character described, the combination with a case having supporting- -legs, said case being divided into upper and lower compartments, said upper compartment being open at its top and at its front face, and a detachable device adapted to be placed in working position within said upper compartment, and be removed therefrom, through the top thereof, the said device, when positioned in said compartment, having' its front portion exposed to View through the front face of the said compartment, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. CANNON.

Witnesses: i y

E. H. KELIHER, F. D. MERCHANT. 

